Have e-Readers been superseded by Tablets and Phones

[Froide]

Some Mobilereaders may have opinions about this article, which touches on some subjects discussed in this and other MR threads:
Warren Adler. (September 12, 2014). "Misreading the Facts on EBooks Warren Adler Sep 12, 2014"]Misreading the Facts on EBooks". EContent.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Froide

Some Mobilereaders may have opinions about this article, which touches on some subjects discussed in this and other MR threads:
Warren Adler. (September 12, 2014). "Misreading the Facts on EBooks". EContent.

Sounds interesting, but there's something wrong with your link.
And a search for the article on HuffPost only brings up 404s

EDIT: Ahh ... found it here http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/...ooks-99163.htm

Very common sensical actually.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Sounds interesting, but there's something wrong with your link.

The link isn't actually a URL - it's just the article title .

[Froide]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Sounds interesting, but there's something wrong with your link.
And a search for the article on HuffPost only brings up 404s

EDIT: Ahh ... found it here http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/...ooks-99163.htm

Very common sensical actually.

Sorry about that link...and thank you for the heads-up. I've corrected the OP by inserting the correct URL.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by darryl

I think, for many people, a tablet is probably a good choice. Many would probably be quite happy just using their phones.

I think the tolerance to be able to use a tablet will highly depend on the screen quality. Old tablet with low resolution is no match for eink when it comes to sharpness of the text. Same goes for phones - the higher the resolution the better the text will look.

I always used to think that reading on a tablet is bad, because the only tablet I had to try on was my old Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 (149 ppi). Finally got around and bought an upgrade today (Nexus7 32gb 2013, 323 ppi) - and the difference between them two is night and day. It looks better concerning text sharpness than our PW1. I will test out this weekend how extended periods of time reading on the tablet will work out.

Yes, of course there is limitations (battery life, readability in bright outdoors) that limit the usefulness of tablets or phones - and a dedicated eink reader got an advantage. One of the reasons I'm not giving up my Paperwhite any time soon.

For the price I couldn't resist either - Walmart had the tablet on clearance for $118 - that is even cheaper than I paid for each of the Paperwhites. Strange though, the 16gb version of the exact same Nexus7 was not on clearance priced at $223. I am not complaining, I think I got a good deal.

[Anthem]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

I think the tolerance to be able to use a tablet will highly depend on the screen quality.

I know the horse is dead and I'm to blame for beating it incessantly, but this is my exact war cry. The quality of the image produced by the screen is the overriding factor in fatigue while reading on LCD or e-ink! (Glare and emitted light are concerns too, but the image quality is the most important, IMO)

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Finally got around and bought an upgrade today (Nexus7 32gb 2013, 323 ppi) - and the difference between them two is night and day.

Yep. When I went from my Nexus 7 (2012) to my Fire HDX 7" I was literally FLOORED by the quality of the image on the thing. It beats the pants off of my Kindle (5-button) in terms of clarity. The Kindle (5-button) looks like vague soupy text with too much water in the ink mix by comparison. And the Nexus 7 from 2012 already had a decent screen, IMO.[/QUOTE]

[conan50]

For reading indoors at least, I'm wondering if the new 6 inch Fire tablet will look as good or better as the new basic Kindle? It doesn't seem much competition to spend a few bucks more for a tablet vs that basic Kindle now. What do you folks think?

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by conan50

For reading indoors at least, I'm wondering if the new 6 inch Fire tablet will look as good or better as the new basic Kindle? It doesn't seem much competition to spend a few bucks more for a tablet vs that basic Kindle now. What do you folks think?

If the basic Kindle does all you need, then there is no need to spend more money. You will be able to read on both, unless medical problems with your eyes rule out a tablet. Just remember that on the basic Kindle you need to supply adequate light - in the dark it will be impossible to read.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by conan50

For reading indoors at least, I'm wondering if the new 6 inch Fire tablet will look as good or better as the new basic Kindle? It doesn't seem much competition to spend a few bucks more for a tablet vs that basic Kindle now. What do you folks think?

I'll be glad to share my opinion of the Fire 6 when it arrives Oct 16.

The bad thing, in comparison, is the battery life.

But then you get 8 or 16 gb vs 2 or 4 gb!

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

Yes, of course there is limitations (battery life, readability in bright outdoors) that limit the usefulness of tablets or phones - and a dedicated eink reader got an advantage. One of the reasons I'm not giving up my Paperwhite any time soon.

For the price I couldn't resist either - Walmart had the tablet on clearance for $118 - that is even cheaper than I paid for each of the Paperwhites. Strange though, the 16gb version of the exact same Nexus7 was not on clearance priced at $223. I am not complaining, I think I got a good deal.

You got an incredible deal!

The other thing about tablets that you didn't mention is their weight. Most of them are much heavier than most e-ink readers. That is one reason I am so excited about the new Fire 6. While still heavier than all my e-ink readers, it is a lot lighter than most tablets.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by booklover6

I'll be glad to share my opinion of the Fire 6 when it arrives Oct 16.

The bad thing, in comparison, is the battery life.

... or if you want to read in direct sunlight.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by HarryT

... or if you want to read in direct sunlight.

True, although the product page for the HD 6 says "an advanced polarizing filter, and anti-glare technology" so I wonder how that will affect the in-sun reading experience.

[DiapDealer]

I don't do anything in direct sunlight. Curse that evil orange sky-ball -- the moon rules!

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I don't do anything in direct sunlight. Curse that evil orange sky-ball -- the moon rules!

As a passenger in a vehicle, I do a lot of reading. Even with eink I try to hold it in the shade, as direct sunlight can affect page turns. At least on my Kobo Glo, sun tends to slow them down.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by booklover6

True, although the product page for the HD 6 says "an advanced polarizing filter, and anti-glare technology" so I wonder how that will affect the in-sun reading experience.

The experience will be better concerning glare. And that may help to be able to read easier with the lower contrast of the screen in bright outdoors. Why reduced contrast? In the sun your eyes are adjusted to really really bright, so in turn the sceen has to compete with the sun in brightness to keep white close to white and not a dark grey. Eink, while not having the best contrast in town, has the clear advantage of having consistent contrast. The more light you blast on it, the brighter the screen will be. The brightness of backlit screen is limited by the leds - there is only so much you can do with the leds that backlight the sceen.